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Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Douay-Rheims Bible

Matthew 22:14

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Chosen, or Elected;   Covetousness;   Feasts;   Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Kingdom of Heaven;   Predestination;   Righteous;   Righteousness;   Salvation;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Few Saved;   Saved, the;   The Topic Concordance - Calling;   Choosing/chosen;   Kingdom of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Call;   Election;   Parables;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christ, Christology;   Church, the;   Elect, Election;   Lord's Supper, the;   Mission;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Call, Calling;   Hutchinsonians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Call;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Scribes;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Election;   Hour;   People of God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of God;   Marriage;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Call, Called, Calling;   Call, Calling;   Choice;   Circumstantiality in the Parables;   Doctrines;   Dropsy;   Elect, Election ;   Individuality;   Invitation;   Lazarus;   Luke, Gospel According to;   Marriage;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   New Testament;   Punishment (2);   Service;   Wealth (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Calling;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Marriage;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Calling;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Choose;   Christ, Offices of;   Literature, Sub-Apostolic;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Marriage;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
King James Version (1611)
For many are called, but few are chosen.
King James Version
For many are called, but few are chosen.
English Standard Version
For many are called, but few are chosen."
New American Standard Bible
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
New Century Version
"Yes, many are invited, but only a few are chosen."
Amplified Bible
"For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
Legacy Standard Bible
For many are called, but few are chosen."
Berean Standard Bible
For many are called, but few are chosen."
Contemporary English Version
Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.
Complete Jewish Bible
for many are invited, but few are chosen."
Darby Translation
For many are called ones, but few chosen ones.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Yes, many people are invited. But only a few are chosen."
Geneva Bible (1587)
For many are called, but fewe chosen.
George Lamsa Translation
For many are invited, and few are chosen.
Good News Translation
And Jesus concluded, "Many are invited, but few are chosen."
Lexham English Bible
For many are called but few are chosen."
Literal Translation
For many are called, but few chosen.
American Standard Version
For many are called, but few chosen.
Bible in Basic English
For out of all to whom the good news has come, only a small number will get salvation.
Hebrew Names Version
For many are called, but few chosen."
International Standard Version
For many are invited, but few are chosen."Matthew 20:16;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
For many are the called, but few the chosen.
Murdock Translation
For the called are many, and the chosen are few.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For many be called, but fewe are chosen.
English Revised Version
For many are called, but few chosen.
World English Bible
For many are called, but few chosen."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For many are called, but few chosen.
Weymouth's New Testament
"For there are many called, but few chosen."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For many ben clepid, but fewe ben chosun.
Update Bible Version
For many are called, but few chosen.
Webster's Bible Translation
For many are called, but few [are] chosen.
New English Translation
For many are called, but few are chosen."
New King James Version
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
New Living Translation
"For many are called, but few are chosen."
New Life Bible
For many are called but few are chosen."
New Revised Standard
For many are called, but few are chosen."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, many, are called, but, few, chosen.
Revised Standard Version
For many are called, but few are chosen."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For many are called and feawe be chosen.
Young's Literal Translation
for many are called, and few chosen.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For many be called, but few are chose.
Mace New Testament (1729)
thus many are called, but few are converted.
THE MESSAGE
"That's what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.'"
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Many will be invited, but only a few will come."

Contextual Overview

1 And Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying: 2 The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who made a marriage for his son. 3 And he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the marriage: and they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come ye to the marriage. 5 But they neglected and went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. 6 And the rest laid hands on his servants and, having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. 7 But when the king had heard of it, he was angry: and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burnt their city. 8 Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage. 10 And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:14, Matthew 20:16, Luke 13:23, Luke 13:24

Reciprocal: Esther 2:4 - let the maiden

Cross-References

Genesis 22:4
And on the third day, lifting up his eyes, he saw the place afar off.
Genesis 22:5
And he said to his young men: Stay you here with the ass; I and the boy will go with speed as far as yonder, and after we have worshipped, will return to you.
Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said: God will provide himself a victim for an holocaust, my son. So they went on together.
Genesis 22:10
And he put forth his hand, and took the sword, to sacrifice his son.
Genesis 22:13
Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram, amongst the briers, sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son.
Genesis 22:14
And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon, even to this day, it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see.
Genesis 22:17
I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore; thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies.
Genesis 28:19
And he called the name of the city Bethel, which before was called Luza.
Genesis 32:30
And Jacob called the name of the place Phanuel, saying: I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved.
Exodus 17:15
And Moses built an altar; and called the name thereof, The Lord, my exaltation, saying:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For many are called, but few chosen. See Gill "Mt 20:16"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Many are called, but few are chosen - Our Saviour often uses this expression. It was probably proverbial. The Jews had been called, but few of them had been chosen to life. The great mass of the nation was wicked, and they showed by their lives that they were not chosen to salvation. The Gentiles also were invited to be saved, Isaiah 45:22. Nation after nation has been called; but few, few have yet showed that they were real Christians, the elect of God. It is also true that many who are in the church may prove to be without the wedding garment, and show at last that they were not the chosen of God. This remark in the 14th verse is the inference from the “whole parable,” and not of the part about the man without the wedding garment. It does not mean, therefore, that the great mass in the church are simply called and not chosen, or are hypocrites; but the great mass in “the human family,” in the time of Christ, who had been “called,” had rejected the mercy of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 22:14. Many are called, c.] This verse is wanting in one of Colbert's MSS., marked 33 in Griesbach. See the note on Matthew 20:16. Many are called by the preaching of the Gospel into the outward communion of the Church of Christ but few, comparatively, are chosen to dwell with God In glory, because they do not come to the master of the feast for a marriage garment-for that holiness without which none can see the Lord. This is an allusion to the Roman custom of raising their militia; all were mustered, but only those were chosen to serve, who were found proper. See the note on Matthew 20:16. Reader! examine thy soul, and make sure work for eternity!


 
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